Running Times Guide to Running Strollers

Soon after a baby enters the family of an active runner, parents start singing the praises of a three wheeled chariot. Requiring only minor modification to your running form and schedule, running strollers allow you to resume training while giving your spouse a break as you and your child spend quality time together cruising the neighborhood. To paraphrase an old GM ad, "It’s not just your stroller, it’s your freedom."

Landis, my 1-and-a-half-year-old son, and I have been running together for just over a year—the first few months on the streets of Manhattan, the last several on the dirt back roads of western Nebraska. During the month of June, we tested eight different strollers, putting in 10-20+ miles on each model, over dirt roads and paved highways, loading them in the car to take into town, folding and carrying them with a baby on one arm, and generally abusing them the way any parent would. We also repaired numerous flat tires, fixed canopies, cursed at poorly designed storage compartments while backtracking for blankets... but I’m getting ahead of myself.

The UPS truck rumbled into the driveway in the late afternoon and dropped off a big box. Within half an hour I had the B.O.B. Sport Utility Stroller assembled, tires inflated, and Landis buckled in easily and securely without resistance, ready for a six mile tour. The B.O.B was very much at home on the rural road; with the seat farther forward than most strollers, the front wheel tracks solidly over the rough terrain, and when we had to pull to the side to let a pick-up pass, it floated over the deep sand on the edge, barely registering the change in surface. Landis enjoyed being higher and more upright than usual, and loved putting and pulling his juice glass out of his own gear pockets.

When we got back, we had two flat tires. Now, this is not the fault of the B.O.B.—our area is infested with sand burrs, nasty little spiked seeds reminiscent of the silver tire-puncturers James Bond drops out of the back of his car. The cure is to fill the tires with a green goop called Slime, which I did for the B.O.B., then reinflated to the pressure listed on the sidewall. The next morning, as the temperature rose near 100 F, I heard an explosion outside my office, followed by another. Checking on it, I found the B.O.B. with its tires blown clear off the rims. A call to the manufacturer got me new tubes, and the advice NOT to inflate to the listed pressure—that will be changed in future models.

We later ran with the B.O.B. on city streets, and it performed adequately, if a bit roughly—like taking a mountain bike into town. On subsequent dirt road runs, it was the favorite of both Landis and me—he for the "big boy" feel, me for the unsurpassed ability to handle bumps, ruts, sand, wind... On the downside, the front fender always rubbed on the tire, no matter how I adjusted the two screws that held it.

Best Features: wide tires; pockets for child

But... folding process cumbersome

Rubber Meets the Road: If you run off the pavement (and if not, why not?), it is unsurpassed in stability and tracking.

Thursday, June 6Baby Jogger III

Two strollers showed up today. I went right for the Baby Jogger III, the much anticipated update to the ubiquitous Baby Jogger II, the industry standard. Assembly is not complex, but more complete than any other stroller, with the result that I ended up understanding the design more thoroughly. Essentially, it is a fabric seat hung between two aluminum triangles attached to wheels. This simplicity is the Jogger’s greatest strength, and why they can provide a lifetime guarantee. The III adds some of the advanced features of competing models, such as shocks in the vertical supports, reclining seat back using zippers along the sides, and a canopy that can rotate forward to block low light.

The canopy required tools to assemble, and mine weren’t handy, so I used pliers and my fingers to tighten the bolts, which seemed a bit short. Big mistake. Within two miles on the dirt road the nuts had fallen off, and I wrestled with the canopy the rest of the way, rescuing Landis when it fell on his head every 1/4 mile. I eventually pulled it off and stashed it in the thankfully large storage pocket. Even after replacing the bolts, on subsequent runs I felt the canopy was difficult to position and often in the way of where I wanted to place my hand.

I had looked forward to trying the big 24" wheels, and they didn’t disappoint on pavement as the stroller floated along easily, but they provided little advantage on the dirt, where they dug in as much as 16" wheels. Whenever we ran with the III, I had the feeling that I could jump in, put Landis on my lap and wheel it away—it is that big. For this size, however, it is very light, which was appreciated most of the time, but not in the wind, when the height created a sail effect, nor on bumpy roads, when, combined with the shocks, it felt too loose and bouncy.

Best Features: large diameter tires; wide seat

But... canopy difficult to use

Rubber Meets the Road: Great for older children and runners wanting maximum rolling ease with space on the roads and in their garage.

Friday, June 7Kelty Joy Rider

I unpacked the Kelty Joy Rider, snapped on the wheels and pulled it into the open position. Then I closed it and opened it, and did it again, marveling at the completely unique answer to this engineering problem. The Kelty, while one of the bigger strollers when open, folds like an umbrella stroller into a long tube shape that actually fits places like the trunk without taking all the room, or in the corner of the foyer of a restaurant. What is more, it can be closed and opened with one hand and one foot. I did draw blood scratching my shin while opening it once before I got used to it, but soon it was a breeze.

I buckled Landis in with the padded harness, which he is used to, having ridden in a Kelty backpack, where they rule the industry. Both the harness and the unventilated, fuzzy-lined seat made it a hot stroller for the summer test, but both would be welcome the rest of the year. The Kelty, which is one of the most solidly constructed, rode smoothly on dirt and in town, and I quickly got used to the asymmetrical, two piece handle, even doing some speed pickups with it in town.

Rubber Meets the Road: Convenient, solid, great for packing into the back of an SUV.

Monday, June 10Dreamer Design Suspension

The Dreamer Design Suspension went together like a dream and folded up intuitively as we loaded it into the back of the car and headed for town to watch my nephews’ baseball games. Between games Landis and I did a loop around town. The sun was very low and both of us were tired, so fortunately the bubble canopy pulled all the way forward just by unhooking one snap, and the seat reclined by unbuckling one strap. The ride was smooth on town streets, but the rear wheel brake rattled against the frame annoyingly.

On a later run, the Dreamer performed adequately on dirt roads, which we only tried once, as it was the stroller that always seemed to end up in the car going to town, due to its ease of folding and small size when folded. The trunk abuse, however, revealed a weakness when one of the flexible canopy rods broke inside its sleeve, but this didn’t alter its functionality much. Another drawback is the slightly too flexible seat back, which made the lower back sag when pulled into the upright position.

Rubber Meets the Road: Easiest to use with no learning curve for harnessing, canopy adjustments or folding.

Tuesday, June 11Nordic Track Apex

The sporty looking Nordic Track Apex arrived late in the day, and I quickly assembled it, threw it in the back of my father-in-law’s pick-up and rode with him to their house on the other side of town. Note: never wear test something on a point-to-point 13 miler. The first two miles took 25 minutes, with at least 1/2 mile backtracking. The only storage compartment is on the seat back, and the back is so flexible that it sagged nearly horizontal under the weight of my street clothes, a water bottle and Landis’ blanket. The blanket, on top for quick access, fell out repeatedly, and I’d notice it gone a couple minutes later. One kind young man heading to town picked up the blanket and brought it to me as I was backtracking—then did it again when he came back from town. Compounding the annoyance, Landis was not enjoying the ride, and letting me know it, as he didn’t want to recline, but the seat back couldn’t be pulled fully upright.

Eventually I tied the blanket to the handle, unbuckled the shoulder straps so Landis could sit upright on his own, and discovered that the 20" rear wheels provided a nice float as we went through town. On the dirt outside of town, however, the small front wheel bounced back and forth too easily, until Landis started leaning forward and playing with his feet, at which point we made up some time and finally got home just after dark, with one flat tire.

Later, when I returned to the stroller after several weeks, I appreciated the clean, solid design. Running in town, with the back all the way reclined and Landis sleeping, I forgot some of the frustrations of that first run.

Best Features: sporty design; solid simplicity

But... no bottom storage; seat back too flexible

Rubber Meets the Road: Best for small babies who don’t need to sit upright and short runs where storage is unneeded.

Wednesday, June 12InSTEP 10K Ultimate

I was a bit gun shy trying the InSTEP 10K Ultimate that arrived today, but, someone’s got to do it. The experience, however, was very different than the night before. The stroller rode on the dirt roads better than all but the B.O.B., despite having standard width tires. I attributed this to the balance, with the baby’s weight evenly spread to all three wheels. Landis enjoyed the seat, one of the most well designed with a soft, padded back supported by a rigid frame that holds its position. When he fell asleep at two miles, I reclined the back with a quick unbuckling of a strap, and was pleased to find mesh in the supporting material behind his head. He slept better than he ever has, and arrived home without the typical sweat-wet hair.

This stroller competed with the Dreamer Design and Kelty for popularity when heading to town. Folding it requires more steps, but can be done with one hand, which isn’t true of the Dreamer, and it folds to a similar small size. Averaging on and off road performance, the InSTEP rode the best of all of the strollers, and, despite lightweight materials, its clean, simple design allows few places for things to go wrong.

Rubber Meets the Road: Excelled in baby comfort and on a variety of terrains with a simple, clean design.

Monday, June 17Kool-Stride

I was immediately impressed with the large, angled rear wheels and long, low profile of the Kool-Stride when I assembled it. The ride, however, was not significantly different than other strollers. What was significant was the adjustable handle height—tilt-a-wheel for the pusher—allowing a custom fit for each runner.

On a later paved road run I upped the tempo, and then the racing design came into play, as the stroller glided smoothly and stably, as fast as I wanted to go, without the normal lurch and wobble at sub-7:00 pace. On rough roads, however, the thin back supports and handle flexed significantly and felt a bit too light and bouncy.

The Kool-Stride uses a different braking system than any of the others, with a plastic pad that pushes against the tire. It stopped adequately, but wasn’t as secure a parking brake as the standard caliper brake locked onto the rims. When it comes to folding, the Kool-Stride uses a unique sliding system that folds the top into the triangle between the wheels-—it worked easily, but left the stroller still quite large to try to fit into a trunk.

Best Features: large, angled wheels for stability; adjustable handle

But... big, even when folded; hot in summer

Rubber Meets the Road: Good stroller for fast-paced runners with smooth open roads and space at home and in a vehicle.

Tuesday, July 9Gozo 1X2

The Gozo 1X2 arrived last, and, frankly, I was tired and it looked complicated, so I let it sit for a week. When I got back to it, it was easier than it looked—just very different. The Gozo is made up of a frame onto which you mount one or two padded plastic seats, complete with little leg holders. On top of these you mount flat canopies with a four inch curtain hanging down around—all you need is fringe to have a surrey.

Surprisingly, Landis took right to it, in part, I believe, because it feels like a car seat that every child has to ride in too much, but gets used to. After I got over the funny look and took it out for a run, I was pleasantly surprised at the ride. The handle height is adjustable, and the weight well distributed to the wheels, even with only one rider. I was able to adjust the canopy down to shield Landis, although he couldn’t see then, so he went to sleep. On the rough road, however, the seat bounced terribly, as it is attached—securely but not rigidly—only at the bottom.

Little things went wrong with this stroller: the mounting bolt for the cup holder wouldn’t tighten and the metal bar that holds the canopy support came unwelded on the first run. If I had need for a double, however, and lived in town, I would consider the Gozo as the tandem seats make it an easy push, even if it does look funny.

Best Features: converts to tandem; familiar car seat feel

But... lightweight components; bouncy ride

Rubber Meets the Road: Good option for parents who know they will need a double and have smooth roads.

Sherri Kredich and her two children, 4-year-old Hannah and 1-year-old Sam, were running with five double strollers we received for testing.

B.O.B. DuallieWe took this on runs in Durham’s Duke Forest, and it was definitely made for the off-road runner. Hannah and Sam were extremely comfortable and had plenty of room—she could turn around and ask me questions every five seconds and he could reach over and pull his sister’s hair! I found the Duallie heavier than others on the paved road, but the steering is impressively easy. I also liked the way it collapses and folds.

Kelty Deuce CoupeI found the steering on this big stroller to be a challenge. Often, I had to lift the front wheel to make turns. Also, the separate handles make it tougher to steer the stroller with one hand. Otherwise, it was very comfortable for the kids, and by far the best at how it folds and collapses (of course, that’s because of the separate handles).

InSTEP Double StrollerThis stroller was very easy to assemble, but didn’t collapse well. It felt good on the road, if somewhat difficult to turn. It’s lightweight and narrow—too narrow, as Hannah and Sam did not have the room they needed to be comfortable.

Dreamer DesignThis is a nice lightweight stroller, well suited to paved road running. The steering is adequate, but a little tough on sharp turns. The double canopy system works great for me, since Sam couldn’t pull his sister’s hair, and Hannah couldn’t poke at her little brother—but the kids missed each other! It was definitely my most peaceful running experience.

Baby Jogger II TwinnerWhat a great double stroller! Steered extremely easily and the kids had plenty of room. It rode smoothly on the paved roads and handled trails and dirt roads well. The canopy doesn’t extend far enough and it doesn’t collapse as well as others, but the strengths more than compensate for those two weaknesses.

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